memorable randarts

[scud]

I'm curious what standart that shield is based on and how likely to be generated it was.

*duplicates savefile and commits suicide*

the Wicker Shield 'Lumon' [2,+12] <+2>
--------------------------------------
 A light circular frame of wood surrounding fine-grained wickerwork.
 
 +2 shooting speed.
 Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
 
Min Level 38, Max Level 127, Generation chance 12, Power 216, 3.0 lbs
Based on Gil-galad.

*pokes around other randarts*

Hmmm, my 'Ringil' is an as yet unfound armour that looks rather underwhelming. There doesn't appear to be a melee superweapon, but this crossbow should be fun. Looks like I might be pincushioning Morgy...

the Heavy Crossbow of Tilthar (x7) (+8,+16) <+3, +3, -1>
--------------------------------------------------------
 +3 strength, dexterity, charisma, stealth, infravision, shooting power.
 Provides resistance to cold, light, nether.
 Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
 Sustains intelligence.
 Prevents paralysis.  Sustains your life force.  

Min Level 55, Max Level 127, Generation chance 1, Power 353, 20.0 lbs
Based on Durin.

What does that '-1' at the end refer to?

[Derakon]

Off-weapon bonuses to blows/shots are considered very powerful in 3.4 and thus shouldn't happen at all often. I'm curious what standart that shield is based on and how likely to be generated it was. I wouldn't be surprised if the game considers it to be on a similar tier as Ringil.

[Timo Pietilä]

+2 shooting speed on a shield sounds silly... this is still possible in 3.4?

IMO shots/blows should be only with jewelry and weapon and just maybe gloves, might only with weapon (might is kinda like extra dice in melee-weapons, nothing affects that). Anything else having those feels wrong.

[PowerWyrm]

+2 shooting speed on a shield sounds silly... this is still possible in 3.4?

[scud]

It's the fortuitous pairing of...

b) the Short Bow 'Balach' (x5) (+10,+18) <+3>
     Dropped by a Lesser Balrog at 3450 feet (level 69).
     
     +3 strength, dexterity, speed, shooting power.
     +15% to searching.
     Provides resistance to chaos.
     Provides protection from fear.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
     Slows your metabolism.  

r) the Wicker Shield 'Lumon' [2,+12] <+2> {RAILGUN!}
     Found lying on the floor in a vault at 3500 feet (level 70).
     
     +2 shooting speed.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.

Don't have any Holy Mights to hand, but a 3d4 +17 Slay Evil = 937.2 v evil, 669.3 v others. Dave still has to hit the target, of course, which doesn't come naturally to him. Keeping him in arrows is also a problem, as he can fire off a hundred of them (with a 35% loss rate) in *very* short time.

Also has the following, which is the fastest randart I've ever seen and has a tasty heal too. Guinosse is good for you?

a) the Two-Handed Great Flail 'Guinosse' (6d6) (+10,+8) <+14>
     Found lying on the floor in a vault at 3850 feet (level 77).
     
     +14 speed.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
     
     When activated, it restores 1200 hit points, heals cut damage, and
     cures stunning, poisoning, blindness, and confusion.
     Takes 646 to 871 turns to recharge at your current speed.
     Your chance of success is 98.1%
     
     Combat info:
     4.0 blows/round.
     Average damage/round: 195.6.

The to hit / to dam values can be jazzed up a bit but it obviously doesn't do enough damage for the end game, although nothing else I've currently got goes higher than 230ish v evil.

This is the first time I've really played mages and priests consecutively, and I have to say I rarely use magely magic in combat: not enough damage to monsters and too much damage to pick-ups. There's certainly nothing in the orb of draining class. I do appreciate the selective banishment and stone to mud, though.

EDIT: where did that colour come from?

[Derakon]

Angband mages are a bit counterintuitive for many people, since they are a lot better at melee and ranged combat than most fantasy mages, and comparatively worse at using magic to blast things. Of course, they're still the worst melee/ranged class in the game (and one of the two best blaster classes); the main point is that that doesn't make melee or ranged combat completely unviable.

Hell, back in the day mages primarily did their damage through melee/ranged combat, because a) their attack spells were much more expensive (and Raal's was the last dungeon spellbook instead of the first), and b) they had Globe of Invulnerability in the late game.

[scud]

Dave the Mage was struggling with those pesky unique angels until he retrained as an archer, allowing him to drop *everything* as far down as Lungorthin before they got within 50' of him...



Which is just as well, because he still melees like a girl.

[scud]

The probability of finding an artifact depends on DL only and not on CL. So if you wish to find artifacts soon you should probably dive faster. Just watch out for out-of-depth Drolems and you'll be fine (famous last words).

The problem was that I had (and still have) such huge resistance holes that getting down to 'randart levels' was a real problem. Found randart ethereal slippers +9 speed, which compensates for the holes and the lack of decent weaponry.

Have found four other artefacts between DL34-38, all of them very average, but have now broken the magic DL40 barrier and am stat-gaining nicely. Just *destroyed* Scatha thanks to some nice anti-dragon arrows, my biggest scalp so far.

But it's been a struggle: has taken me 1.5m turns to get to CL34, which is half my usual speed. Dave the Conjurer better be worth the effort!

[fph]

Looking at a few of my obituaries it appears that randart acquisition doesn't really kick in until CL31/32 and approaching DL40, so I'm not actually that far behind but I haven't got the means to survive encounters with anything significant. Given my current vulnerability I'm reduced to mugging trolls and the occasional ancient dragon until something useful turns up.

The probability of finding an artifact depends on DL only and not on CL. So if you wish to find artifacts soon you should probably dive faster. Just watch out for out-of-depth Drolems and you'll be fine (famous last words).

[scud]

Historically I've got with the stock artefacts, but over the last few months I've racked up at a guess 150m XP while playing with randarts and that's the first proper cursed item I've found.

Now CL31/DL33 and I've found one more...

The Broad Sword of Bormeneng (2d5) (+10,+14) <+2>
+2 wisdom.
+10% to searching.
Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
Sustains wisdom.
Blessed by the gods.

That bad boy would dish out 67.4 pts a round at my current STR/DEX.

Looking at a few of my obituaries it appears that randart acquisition doesn't really kick in until CL31/32 and approaching DL40, so I'm not actually that far behind but I haven't got the means to survive encounters with anything significant. Given my current vulnerability I'm reduced to mugging trolls and the occasional ancient dragon until something useful turns up.

Ah well.

[PowerWyrm]

This is based on Camlost, which is one of the few garbage arts, so you'll get a cursed randart as well.

[scud]

CL27 / DL28 high elf mage, wielding a main gauche of venom (1d5) (+7,+8) dropped by Wormtongue an age ago for a mighty 65.4 / 50.9 pts of damage. I try to avoid melee! I encountered one strange level that was littered with *slays* and elemental branded weapons for no apparent reason, where I found two of my three DSMs. So now if I encounter anything serious I have to ask them to wait while I go through wardrobe changes, activate breathes, and subsequently destroy most of the drops.

Other than the obligatory early Phial of Meh I'd found not a single randart until now...

t) the Set of Gauntlets of Shelin [3,-17] <-2> {cursed}
     Dropped by Draebor, the Imp at 1400 feet (level 28).
     
     Heavily cursed.
     -2 strength, constitution.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
     Aggravates creatures nearby.

I didn't even know that there was such a thing as a heavily cursed randart.

[Elbereth]

Heh, I just found these...

u) the Pair of Leather Boots of Rufin [2,+10] <+9>
     Found lying on the floor in a vault at 3500 feet (level 70).
     
     +9 intelligence, speed.
     Provides protection from fear.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
     Feather Falling.

*drools*

[scud]

Not bad for any character and definitely not for magician

Heh, I just found these...

u) the Pair of Leather Boots of Rufin [2,+10] <+9>
     Found lying on the floor in a vault at 3500 feet (level 70).
     
     +9 intelligence, speed.
     Provides protection from fear.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
     Feather Falling.

Bleedin' useless to me, of course.

I've had boots with +8 or +9 to speed and stealth before, but I've never seen +9 on a 'stat'.

[Thraalbee]

Just completed a game in Vanilla 3.4.1. Found nice stuff but never this cloak.
Not bad for any character and definitely not for magician

the Ethereal Cloak of Elurod [0,+36] <+6>
-----------------------------------------
 This unearthly, completely transparent body mantle folds and drapes in
 iridescent patterns around you.  It weighs absolutely nothing.
 
 +6 intelligence, dexterity, constitution, charisma.
 +30% to searching.
 Provides resistance to fire, sound.
 Provides protection from fear, blindness.
 Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
 Slows your metabolism.  
 

Min Level 62, Max Level 127, Generation chance 30, Power 406, 0.0 lbs
Based on Celeborn.